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 FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON

279

he said there was something designation of their service in Cobb's eagerness, it looked as though there suspicious which the President was implicated, be in an attempt, might ,



Oregon territory bill through under an emergency thus and plea gag Congress in its discussion of the major issue. Collamer's suspicions were shared by others, consequently the two measures were separated and the question of protection was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. Nothing, however, came of it; whatever protection Oregon received from Federal troops came from those which the President detailed for that duty after their services were no longer needed for the Mexican situation. The territorial bill awaited to rush the

its place after the appropriation bills, as Smith's resolution provided, and did not appear again until late in July. So long did other matters engage the attention of Con-

the presidential nominations gress, legislative and political had occurred and the campaign of '48 was well under weigh that the Senate had proceeded to take up, discuss and pass its Oregon bill before the House was in full swing on the

debate over

two days

its

own

measure. 26

after the President's

On

the thirty-first of May, message and the memorial were

and took up the had introduced four months earlier. Douglas Upon Benton's motion it was amended by adding a section to authorize the raising of volunteers in the territory. Next Hale received, the Senate postponed prior orders

bill

(Maine) proposed section 12 of the

last session's

bill,

ex-

Oregon the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance, as an amendment to the original measure. This raised a storm, tending to

mostly

from the

southern

Senators;

said

Benton,

if

this

"pestiferous question" had not been raised Oregon would already have had a government and the Indian disturbances would have been quelled at their beginning. Hannegan (Indiana) said the amendment was not heeded because every-

In body knew the Missouri Compromise covered Oregon. view of the excitement his amendment had created, Hale pro26 Globe, XVIII, 804 seq.; Appen., 684 seq.